Machine for simulating hand overedge stitches



June 21, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 13. 1956 MATHlAs PEDERSEN BY Z @14m ATTORNEY June 21, 1960 M. PEDERsEN 2,941,486

MACHINE FOR SIMULATING HAND OVEREDGE STITCHES Filed March 13, 1956 -5 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVENTOR MATHIAS PEDERSEN BY ATTORNEY M. PEDERSEN 2,941,486 MACHINE FOR SIMULATING HAND ovEREDGE sTITcHEs June Z, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 13. 1956 INVENTOR l MATHIAS PEDERSEN Y -zz. C'fm ATTORNEY June 21, 1960 M. PEDERsEN 2,941,486 MACHINE FOR SIMULATING HAND ovEREDGE: sTITcHEs Filed March 13. 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR 7622 MATHIAS PEDERSEN' ATTORNEY M. PEDERsEN 2,941,486 MACHINE FOR SIMULATING HAND OVEREDGE sTITcHEs June 21, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 13, 1956 A INVENTOR MATHlAs PEDERsl-:N BY

ATTORNEY MAC-unan non srMULA'rlNG HAND ovEREDGE smcrnts Mathias Pedersen, Valley Stream, N.Y., assgnoito American Machine d; Foundry Company, a corporation of New lersey Filed Mar. 13, 1956, Ser. No. 571,238 Claims. (Cl. 112-171) This invention relates to the art of sewing and more particularly to improvements relating to sewing'machines and sewing methods for forming stitches closely simulating hand work.

The invention further relates to the novel method of and apparatus for forming selected types ofl over edge stitches and combinations of over edge and straight stitches wherein all of the stitches may extend over the edge of the work or only a part thereof. Material stitched in accordance with the invention so closely resembles hand sewing that it is hicult to even an expert to tell whether the work has been stitched by a skilled seamstress or tailor. The reason that finished work so closely approximates hand sewing is that, as in hand sewing, a single thread is moved back and forth through the work.

A preferred form of apparatus for accomplishing the results of the invention comprises a sewing machine utilizing a double pointed needle having an eye located between the points through which thev single length of thread may pass. The needle is moved back and forth through the work and along the edge thereof in timed relation to the operation of the work feeding and holding means. ln forming certain types of over edge and combination over edge stitches, selected spaced portions of the edge of the work are moved out of the path of travel of the needle. At the time each spaced edge portion is so moved laterally out of the path of travel of the needle, the adjacent portion of the work is held, as by means of a presser foot, against lateral movement, thereby insuring the proper location and disposition of stitches' in the work. The illustrated machine also is provided with selected mechanism which makes -it possible to adapt it rapidly for forming conventional straight slip stitches or for making a plurality of different types of over edge stitches or combinations thereof.

. It is an object of the invention to provide a novel appa ratus and methods of forming selected types of over edge or combination over edge stitches wherein a single continuous thread is disposed in the work in a manner closely approxn'nating hand sewing.

It is a further object of the invention `to provide a sewing machine utilizing a double pointed needle with a plurality of adjustable cam means, wherein a speciiied cam may be selected and a predetermined type of over edge stitch formed, or wherein the cam means may be incapacitated and the machine may form a' conventional type of over and under stitches.

The invention is further characterized by a novelmethod for forming selected types of over edge stitches or combinations thereof wherein selectedv portions'of the edge ot the work being stitched is moved out of Tth'e path of the needle and a double pointed needle is employed for disposing the thread inside and outside' of the work in accordance with a predetermined pattern of stitching.

The invention is also characterized bythe provision of novel mechanism for and the method of forming a of over edge stitches and a succession of combination `over edge stitches wherein there is provided a movable in View, the invention consists in certain combinations and constructions which will be hereinafter fully described, and then set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this speciiicat-ion, and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. l is a sectional front elevation of a preferred embodiment of stitching machine embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation taken on -line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional end elevation taken on line 4 4 of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a detailed side elevation of a preferred form .of material feed-ing mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of the material feed control rod.

Fig. 7 is a plan view taken on line 77 of Fig. 6.

Fig. S is an isometric view illustrating the forming operation in making one type of stitch.

Fig. 9 is an isometric view illustrating the disposition of the thread as the result of the operations4 shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. l0 is an isometric View showing a different type of over edge stitch formed on a machine embodying my invention.

With reference to the drawings, stitch forming mechanisms embodying the invention are shown in conjunction with an under and over stitch sewing machine, such as illustrated and described in Patent No. 2,386,800, issued to C. W. Johnson on October 16, l11945.

The machine is driven through a belt 20 by a pulley 22 secured to hub 24 of a gear 26 rotatably supported by al stud shaft-28 mounted on the wall of a frame 30 by means of suitable screws 32. Belt 20 is driven by a suitable pulley (not shown) which is integral with a suitable clutch mechanism driven from a motor (not shown) in a manner similar to that disclosed in Patent 2,368,066, issued lto C. W. Johnson on January 23, 1945. vSince the drive, as well as the mechanism for operating theclutch and brake form no part or" the present invention, further showing and description thereof are deemed unnecessary and are omitted. yA hand wheel 34 attached to pulley 22 plurality of types of slip stitchesincluding a succession provides means for machine.

Formed integrally with pulley 22 is a cam 36 having a cam track 38 in which run cam rollers 40 and 42 positioned at diametrically opposite points of cam 36. Cam roller 40 is pivotally supported on cam lever 44 projecting from the rearward end of an elongated hub or sleeve 46 pivotally mounted on horizontal shaft d8 held at one end by a suitable bearing bracket 50 and at the other en d by a bearing lug of bridge housing 52. Cam roller 42 is pivotally mounted on cam lever 54 which projects rearwardly from an end of an elongated hub or sleeve 56 loosely supported on a suitably mounted horizontal shaft permitting manual turning of the `ss (nig. 2).

and 66 respectively. Aotuating member 64 of the upper needle bar 66 is pivotally connected to an actuating arm 68 projecting from the forward end of sleeve member 46.

Actuating member 66 of the lower needle bar 62 is pivot- Yfoot 82 returns to its starting position.

-2. Lower needle bar 624 is also guided by means of a pair of suitably supported vertical bushings 76. Since the actuating members 64 and 66 of the upper and lower needle bars respectively are of the sliding block type, the 5 oscillating motion imparted to actuating arms 68 and 76 .and sleeve members 46 and 56 by cam 38 through cam levers 44 and 54 respectively,.is converted into vertical reciprocating motion of theneedle bars 60 and 62.-

Needle N, used in this machine in conjunction with @needle bars 60 and 62, Vis a double pointed needle havl`ing aY point at eachend and an eye located preferably about midway between the ends thereof through which the threadp'asses. Since both needle bars 6l) and 62 are constructed in Ythesame manner as the needle bars shown and described in Patent 2,386,800, detailed description .thereof is deemed unnecessary and is omitted in the present lease.

.n will be understood by those sinned in the an that -in this type of machine, needle N is grasped alternately by the jaws of each needle bar as the needle is pushed vertically downward or upward through the work or material. The machine is provided with a sewing head designated generally H. A presser -foot 78 operates in conjunction with an upper feed foot 80 and a lower feed foot 82 employed for the purpose of engaging with and retaining the work or material lin position during sewing operation.

These mechanisms are similar in construction and operation to those illustrated and described in Patent 2,386,800, and since they do not form a specic part of this invention, a detailed description thereof is deemed unnecessary. ln order to facilitate the starting of new work,V and also permit the operator to inspect the work at intervals during sewing operations, presser foot 78 lifted. whenever vthe operator desires. 'This feature is accomplished by providing a knee plate (not shown) which -may be similar to lthat shown and described in above mentioned Patent 2,386,800.

. Lower feed foot 8-2 is of the same general construction voperates in a manner similar to that shown and described in Johnson Patent 2,368,066. Lowerfeed foot 82, attached to an arm 84 (Fig. 1) is provided with a 'corrugated or toothed work feeding surface adapted to 'engage and advance the work. Feed foot 82 may be of the usual type employed in sewing machines and is arranged to project upwardly through a suitable slot in the table plate 86 over which the work is fed. As each stitch is completed, the arm 84 through its connections described below, is caused to descend whereby feed foot 8-2 moves slightly below the level of the table plate leaving the, work resting thereon. Feed Afoot 82 then moves upwardly, engagesl and advances the wo-rk in readiness for the next stitch. The

work or material remains in this position -while the feed The right end of arm 84 is pivotally attached to a stud 88 carried by a lug 90 loosely supported by a stud shaft 92 held by a fsuitable frame portion (not shown) of the machine.

The up and down movement of feed foot 82 on arm Q84 is imparted by means of cam 94 ywith which coacts cam roller 96 pivotally attached to one arm 98 of a bell crank lever. The other arm 102 of this bell crank llever is connected to one end of a link or connecting rod 104. The

other end of the latter is pivotally attached to the left end of the arm 84, as viewed in Fig. l. Cam 94 is xed to a continuously rotating horizontal shaft 106 supported by suitable bearings in the frame structure of the machine. Shaft 106 -is driven by a gear 108 mounted thereon. Gear Aand upper feed foot 80 are so arranged that they may be .to move and permit additional controls to act upon-the `block148 to obtainstitches of various lengths if deslred `108 in turn is driven by a gear 110 mounted on a shaft 112. Gear 110 is integral with a gear 114 which meshes .a thread engaging head 178 Varound the periphery of a with a gear 116 driven by a gear 118 (Fig. l) which in turn meshes with an intermediate gear 120 meshing with and driven by the gear 26 to which belt pulley 22 is secured. Gears 116, 118 and .120 are mounted on suitable shafts 122, 124 and 126 respectively, all of which are i supported in suitable bearings of the frame structure of the machine.

The 'left end of the Vlower -feed -foot supporting `arm on the front face of cam 94." The center portion of arm 134 supports a stud 142 on which is pivotally mounted a roller 144 (Fig. 4). This roller engages track 1461of cam block 148 which forms the head end and is integral with horizontal shaft 100 supported by a suitable bearing of the frame structure of the machine.

Shaft 100 supports an arm 150 (Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7) vwhich on its -free end carries a pin 152 which engages with a slot 154 in a horizontal -bar 156. One end of bar 156 is pivotally connected with one end'of a connecting rod 158. The other end of bar 156 is attached to or may form an integral part of a rod 160 having attached at its other end a stitch length adjusting mechanism generally designated as A (Fig. l). Adjusting mechanism A is of essentially the same design and construction as shown and described in Patent 2,368,066, and serves for they purpose of controlling the angular position of cam block 148 to predetermined stitching requirements, and Atherewith provide means for adjusting the movement of the lower feed -foot 82 and thus the length of a stitch desired. j As illustratedin Figs.

is resiliently held at one end of slot 154 of bar 156 by 5, 6 and 7, pin 152 of arm 150 means of a suitably held compression spring 162. This spring is provided in order to enable arm 150 on shaft 100 vattached to the bar 156 of rod 160 is at its other end pivotally-connected to the free end of an arm 164 mounted supported by suitable bearings in the frame structure'of the machine.Y Also secured to shaft 166 is alever 168, the free end of which through a connecting rod 170 is connected to a suitable foot pedal 172I mounted on a'pivot 174.

` Thev machine is provided with a thread puller comprising an arm -176 which on its upper free end carries so mounted that it may rotate thread drum 180. The chief functions of a thread puller 175 are to engage the loop of thread on alternate movements of needle N and pull the loose end of thread through the work or material M and dispose vit about the periphery of drum 180 in such a manner that the danger of snarling, fouling or breaking rdescription and showing are deemed unnecessary to an understanding of the invention -and are therefore omitted. VAs stated hereinabove, the present nvention'makes it possible to form mechanically and automatically various animee a types of stitches and combinations thereof in a manner closely simulating hand stitching or sewing. In fact, because of the use of a single thread and the disposition of the thread in the work with a hand stitching technique, the finished goods have that quality of excellence which could only be achieved heretofore by the most expert seamstresses or tailors.

In the machine herein, mechanism has been provided for making a conventional running or saddle stitch, a decorative stitch of the type shown in Figs. 8 and 9, which I term a Creed stitch, and an over edge stitch, such as illustrated in Fig. l0. The formation of stitches is substantially the same as that disclosed in the above referred to Patent 2,386,800. As shown in Fig. 1, there is provided an upper looper arm 7l having a thread engaging head 73 which engages a loop of thread formed above the Work as needle N is moved downwardly therethrough by upper needle bar 60. Thread engaging head 73 is provided with a roller (not shown) on which a thread is supported during the movement of looper arm 71 from left to right, as viewed in Fig. 1, and over which the thread moves, when on the next upward movement of lower needle bar 62, thread engaging head 178 on thread puller arm 176 engages the loop of thread formed beneath the work and pulls the loose end of the thread over the roller on head 73, through the work and disposes it on drum 180. Since the construction and operation of this mechanism do not form a specilic part of the invention, further showing and description thereof is omitted in the interest of brevity.

As used herein, the term Creed stitch means a stitch formation such as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 wherein one or more under and over stitches are connected by an over edge or whip stitch.

In order to make the Creed stitch as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, or the over edge stitch, as illustrated in Fig. l0, the needle and thread must pass the outer edge of the material M once every other cycle when making a Creed stitch (Figs. 8 and 9), or once every cycle when making an over edge stitch (Fig. l). To enable needle N to pass the outer edge of material M, that portion of material M through which the needle ordinarily would go at that time is moved out of the path of the needle at the proper time. A device suitable for accomplishing this is a displacing iinger 192 which projects through a slot in the table plate 86, and is adjustably mounted on bar l=94 slidably supported in guide bracket 196 secured to the under side of table plate 86. See Figs. 3 and 8. A roller 198 pivotally mounted on the under side of slide bar 194 engages with yoke 28) (Fig. 3) of arm 202 mounted on the upper end of a vertical shaft 264 supported by a suitable bearing bracket 206 secured to the frame of the machine. Shaft 204 is oscillated by means of cam lever 208 mounted on the lower end of shaft 204 and carrying a cam roller 210, which as yillustrated in Fig. 2, engages with a cam 2i2 slidably mounted on a key 214 in a vertical shaft 216 supported by a suitable bearing bracket 218 held by and secured to the frame work of the machine.

Integral with and spaced below cam 212 is situated another cam 220 vertically slidable with cam 212 on shaft 216. Integral with the lower face of cam 220 is a clutch collar 222. Clutch collar 222 is engaged by a pair of diametrically opposed rollers 224 pivotally held by a pair of arms 226 mounted on a shaft 228 supported by suitable bearings in the frame of the machine. Secured to shaft 228 is a lever 238. The free end of lever 230 is connected by connecting rod 232 to another lever 234 mounted on a shaft 236 supported by suitable bearings in the frame of the machine.

Attached to shaft 236 is a control arm 238 (Fig. 1) which on its free end is provided with a spring loaded control knob 240 of conventional design having a latch 242. This latch may engage any of three notches 244, 246 or 248 of a stitch selector plate 250 held by and secured to a suitable flange of the frame of the machine.

As shown in Fig. 2, cam roller 210 is in engagement with cam 212. By means of the arrangement and construction described, it will be seen that by changing the position of control knob 24th, control arm 238 may be moved upwardly or downwardly, as viewed in Fig. 1. When arm 238 is moved upwardly, latch 242 is disengaged from slot 246 and engaged with upper slot 244 in plate 250. Due to this adjustment, cams 212 and 220 and clutch collar 222 will be moved by arms 226 upwardly so that cam roller 210 #on cam lever 208, which formerly engaged cam 212, will now engage cam 228.

From the description hereinabove, it is evident that by moving control knob 240 and control arm 238 downwardly, latch 242 is caused to engage with lowermost slot 248 in plate 250. By this adjustment, cam roller 210 will be disengaged from both of the two cams 212 and 220 and will be in what may be termed neutral position. When in this position, the material displacement finger mechanism is immobilized and the machine sews regular straight stitches of a length determined by a previously made setting of adjusting mechanism A.

In order to prevent cam lever 208 fnom moving into the path of cams 212 and 220 during stitch selecting shifting operations, as well as hold its lever in a predetermined position when cam follower 210 is not in engagement with cams 212 and 220, bearing bracket 206 is provided with a lug 252 which holds a stud or stop pin 254 against which lever 208 rests during the above mentioned periods. There isV also pnovided a tension spring 256 (Fig. 3) which at one end is anchored to the machine frame while the other end is hooked to a stud on slide actuating arm 262. This spring maintains roller 2110y continuously in engagement with a selected cam 212 or 220.

Shaft 216, which rotates slid-ably mounted cams 212 and 228, is driven by spiral gear 258 mounted on the lower end of shaft 216. Gear 258 in turn meshes with and is driven by gear 260 secured to continuously driven shaft 106.

The gear ratio between the drive of the rest of the machine and the drive :for the cams 212 and 22()` is 2: 1. Thus it requires two cycles of the machine to effect one revolution of these cams. For this reason, cam 212 which effects 4the over edge or whip stitch, is provided with two high portions or lobes 213 set apart. In this manner, material `displacement finger 192, which displaces a selected edge portion of the material M laterally, is actuated once every cycle to produce the over edge stitched illustrated in Fig. l0. In order to make possible the proper lateral movement of the edge of the work out of the path of needle N, presser foot 78 is provided with a slot or cut-out 79, which allows free movement of displacement finger 192. As seen in Fig. 3, the arrangement of finger 192 and the slot or cut-out 79 in presser foot 78 is such that the tip 191 of the displacement linger is disposed to engage the edge of the work in an area immediately adjacent to needle N on the side of the needle from which the work departs during work feeding. Cam 226 is provided only with one high portion or lobe 223 since in making a Creed stitch, the material is displaced every other cycle. It should be understood that by changing the above mentioned gear ratio and providing cams with different lobes, a variation of other stitches may be produced.

Since material M -is advanced and fed forward by the lower feed foot 82 after every upward or downward movement of the needle N, and since every cycle consists of an over and under stitch, it would naturally cause the over edge stitch which occurs every second cycle when making a Creed stitch, to consist of two forward feed movements and therefore would be twice as long as the regular stitcheswhich go through the material proper. However, for the sake of eye appeal, it is desirable that the over edge stitch, or the stitch outside of the material when making a Creed stitch, be of the 7 same length as the regular over and under stitch through the material. This -is achieved by eliminating one forward feed movement of the material by the lower feed foot`82 during every second cycle when the material is displaced and the needle passes outside of the edge while making a Creed stitch.

The task of eliminating this forward feed motion is accomplished by a cam lug 262 (Figs. 1V and 3) adjustably mounted on the top face of cam 2li-2. As explained above, when making `a Creed stitch, the cam roller 210 is in contact with the Creed stitch cam 22), which was elevated by the operator. Thisin turneiected an elevation of the cam 212 so that the latter is -now inits uppermost position near the vupper end of the shaft 216, as shown in Fig. 5. A suitable cam lever 264, pivotally supported by a stud 266 with its free end suspended over the top face of cam 212, now lies in the path of the cam lug 262 on cam 2K2. Cam lever 264 is provided with an arm 268 (Fig. 5) which on its lower fr'ee end carries ya pin 270 which engages with the upper forked portion y272 of a double lever 274 pivotally supported by a stud 276 held by the frame of the machine. The double lever 274 is also provided' with alower Vforked portion 278 which engages with a stud 280- projecting fi'om the free end of an arm 282 mounted on the shaft itil) which carries the cam block 14S, the position of which, as explained heretofore, controls the amount of movement imparted to the lower feed foot 82 and consequently the length of stitches obtainable at a certain setting.

From the construction, it will be seen that when shaft 100 is turned in such `a way that the track 146 of cam block 148 assumes a steep angle, the movement of the lower feed foot is the greatest, resulting in a long stitch. By the same token, when the track 146 of block 148 is nearly horizontal, the resulting movement of the feed foot 82 is small and thus the length of stitch is short. Therefore when shaft 100 -is so rotated that the track 146 of block 148 assumes a horizontal position, no movement of the feed foot is obtained and the forward feed motion of the material is eliminated. The purpose of cam lug 262 on the face of cam 212 is to contact, every other cycle during Creed stitching when the needle passes outside of the edge of the material, the cam lever 264 and lift the same in such a manner as to temporarily effect a turning of shaft 100 to such a degree as to cause track 146 in block 148 to assume a horizontal position long enough to eliminate one feed movement in that particular cycle.

Figs. 8 and 9 disclose the method of forming a Creed stitch. Needle N is moved downwardly through the work at point B by upper needle bar 60 and head 73 moves from left to right to approximately the position shown in Fig. l where it supports the thread above the material M. The latter is then moved to point C relative to the path of travel of needle N on its next upward p movement, thereby forming a stitch beneath material M, after which needle end moves upwardly through the material M at C and forms a loop of thread (not shown) which is engaged by thread engaging head 178 on thread puller 175. In rotating, thread puller 175 pulls the loose end of the thread over the roller on head 73 through the work and disposes'it about drum 180. The lmaterial M is then fed from point C to point D fo-rming a top stitch. Needled N moves downwardly from point D to point E and then, as indicated in Fig. 8, tip 191 of iinger 192 engages the edge `of material M and displaces it laterally out of the path of travel of needle N, and the feed of material M is incapacitated by means of cam lug 262. Needle N then moves upwardly again at point E because of the skipping .of feed, after which material M by the retraction of iinger 192, is allowed to recover its normal position. Needle N then` moves downwardly at point B' thereby completing two cycles of the machine. It will be seen that as the result of movement of needle N downwardly through material M prior to the displacement of the edge of the material, ias shown in Fig. 8; on the next upward movement of needle N from point E when the edge of material M has been displaced laterally out of the path of Vtravel of needle N, needle N will dis- ;pose ther thread outside of 'the material, whereupon on the next downward movement of needle N on point B', an over edge stitch is formed. A succession of Creed" stitches is made in the same manner.

In order to assure that the distance from the edge of vthe material to the needle is uniform at all times during over edge as wellas Creed stitching, the machine is proyided withY a suitable guide'shield 234 which may be 'adjustably mounted 'on the top surface of table plate 86. `As illustrated `in Fig. 8, finger 192 is provided with an 'elongated slot 193 through which screws 195 may be inserted for detachably securing finger 192 to bar 194 in proper adjusted position. This position is determined by the extent of movement of the edge of the work engaging tip 191 of finger 192. When the amount of travel of tip 191 necessary to displace a portion of the edge of material M out of the path of needle N is determined, such as shown in Fig. 8, screws are tightened in bar 194, thereby holding finger 192 -in proper adjusted position. If it should be desired to operate the machine and `form only conventional over and under stitches, finger 192 may be removed from the machine by ref moving screws 195.

The distance from the edge of material M in which stitches may be formed can be controlled by adjusting the position of guide shield 284. The distance of travel of tip 191 of finger 192 will however remain constant once the distance necessary to displace the edge of ma- -terial M out of the path of travel of needle N is determined.

What I claim is:

1. Ina sewing machine comprising alternatively operate ing opposed needle bars and operative to -form stitches simulating hand sewing, the combination of a doublepointed needle having an eye disposed between its points and a length of thread extending through the eye, means for alternatively connecting said needle with said needle bars for projection with the thread through the work to be sewed, work feeding means operative to move the ,work into the path of travel of the needle, and selectively operable means for laterally displacing a limited portion of the work out of the path of travel of said needle and holding said limited portion of the work in such displaced vcondition during the next movement of the needle relative to the work, whereby a portion of the thread is caused to be disposed exteriorly of the work and about the edge thereof, said selectively operable means comprisving a work-engaging member movably mounted to engage the last-stitched portion of the work immediately adjacent the needle, whereby during operation of the sewing machine said limited portion of the work includes the last stitch made by the machine, and cyclicly operable means connected to said work engaging member and operative to move the same in timed relation with the movement of said needle bars to rst displace and then release said limited portion of the work, operation of the sewing machine to form the next stitch following release of said limited portion of the work being effective, by reason of the tension applied to the thread -bylsuch stitching operation, to aid return of said limited portion of the work to its normal position.

2. In a sewing machine, the combination with a pair of alternately actuated opposed needle bars of a doublepointed needle having an eye disposed between its points and a length of thread extending through said eye, means for alternately connecting said needle with said needle bars for projection with the thread through the work to be sewed, work feeding means for moving the work into the path of travel of said needle, a work displacing member movably mounted adjacent said needle and operative when actuated to displaced a lirnitedportion of the edge of the work laterally out of the path oftravel of said needle and to hold said limited portion -of the work in such displaced condition during the next movement of said needle relative to the work, whereby a por'- tion of the thread is caused to be disposed exteriorly of the work and about the edge thereof, and actuating means constructed and arranged for operative connection to-said work displacing member at will tof actuate the same and comprising first and second selectively operable control means, said first control means being effective to cause said actuating means to operate said workV displacing member successively, with resultant formation of successive over edge stitches, and said secondY control means being effective to cause said actuating means toV operate said work displacing member intermittently, with resultant formation of over edge stitches separated by over and under stitches, said sewing machine being operative to form successive over and under stitches, simulating hand sewing, when said work displacing member remains unactuated.

3. In a short thread sew-ing machine having awork supporting table and meansfor feeding work to be stitched over said table, the combination of a pair of alternately actuated needle bars, a double-pointed needle, means for alternately connecting said needle with said needle bars to project a thread having a fixed and a loose end back and forth through the work, means also acting with one of said needle bars for tensioning the thread, a drum, a thread puller operating while said thread is tensioned for pulling the loose end thereof through the work and disposing the same on said drum, a work displacing unit co-acting with said work feeding means, means operatively connected to said unit for operating the same to displace a selected edge portion of the work laterally out of the path of said needle when the thread is being disposed on said drum, and means for interrupting the movement of said unity until said needle has moved past such displaced edge portion -of the work, thereby forming an over edge stitch, said means operatively connected l to said unit for operating the same including a plurality of cams, one of said cams being operative to control the operation of said unit to cause said sewing machine to form a plurality of over edge stitches in succession and another of said cams being operative to control the operation of said unit to cause said sewing machine toalternately form one or more under andl over stitches and an over edge stitch.

4. Ina sewing machine o-f the type described, the com bination of a work support; a pair of opposed, alternately actuated needle bars; a double-pointed needle; means alternately connecting said needle with said needle bars for projection with a thread having a loose end and a fixed end back and `for-th through the work; work feeding mechanism constructed and arranged to feed the work to be stitched over said support in stepwise fashion, said work feeding mechanism including a feeding element actuated once fo-r each movement of said needle; a thread puller operati-ve to pull the loose end of the thread through the work on alternate movements of said needle; mechanism for causing the sewing machine to form any of a plurality of different types of stitching operations in the work, said last-mentioned mechanism comprising a workdisplacing member, means mounting said member adjacent the path of travel of said needle for movement into engagement with a limited portion of the edge of the work to displace said limited portion laterally, whereby said needle can pass outside of the edge of the work and dispose a portion of the thread outside of the work to ferm an over edge stitch, and actuating means for moving said work-displacing member in timed relation with said needle bars; and means operatively associated with said work feeding mechanism and responsive to actuation of said work-displacing member to eliminate one actuation of said feeding element upon each actuation of said work-displacing member.

5. In a sewing machine, the combination of` a worl support, a work guide, mechanism for feeding Work to-be stitched over said support, a needle, opposed alternately operating needle bars, means alternately connecting said needle with each of said bars for projection with a thread having' a loose and a fixed end back and forth through said" work, a thread puller for pulling the loose end of said: thread4 throughl said work on alternate movements of' said needle, mechanism for forming a plurality of selective types of stitches in said work, said last-named mechanism comprising a work displacing linger, means mounting' said finger on said machine and adjacent the pathY of travel' of said needle for movement into engagement` with selected portions of the edge of said work moving' along said guide over said support to move said edge portions of said work out of the path of travel of said needle, whereby said needle mayv dispose a length of Said thread exteriorly Iof said edge of said work and form an over edge stitch, said last-named means includ"- ing a lever connected to said finger, a cam follower on said lever, and cam means operatively associated with said cam follower for moving said finger to displace said edge of said work, said cam means comprising a plurality of axially spaced cams and means for selectively locating one of said cams in position to be engaged by said cam follower, whereby said. sewing machine is caused to produce a selected type of stitch pattern closely simulating hand stitching.

6. In a sewing machine, the combination of a work support, a work guide, mechanism for feeding work to be stitched over said support, a needle, opposed alternately operating needle bars, means alternately connecting said needle with each` of said bars for projection with a thread having a loose and a fixed end back and forth through said work, a thread puller for pulling the loose end of saidrthread through said work on alternate movements of said needle, mechanism for forming a plurality of selective types ofstitches in said work, lsaid last-named mechanism comprising a work displacing finger, means mounting said finger on said machine and adjacent the path of travel of said needle for movement into engagementwith selected portions of the edge of said work moving along said guide over said support to move said edge portions of said work out of the path 'of travel of said needle, whereby said needle may dispose a length of said thread exteriorly of said edge of said work and form an over edge stitch, said last-named means including a lever connected to said finger, a cam follower on said lever, and cam means operatively associated with said cam follower for moving said finger to displace said edge of said work, said cam means including a plurality of axially spaced cams and a selector device for selecting one of said cams for co-action with said cam follower.

7. In a sewing machine, the combination `of a work support, a work guide, mechanism for feeding work to be stitched over said support, a needle, opposed alternatelyv operating needle bars, means alternately connecting said needle with each of said bars for projection with a thread having a loose and a fixed end back and forth through said work, a thread puller for pulling the loose end of said thread through said work on alternate movements of said needle, mechanism for forming a plurality of selective types of stitches in said work, said last-named mechanism comprising a work displacing linger, means mounting said finger on said machine and adjacent the path of travel of said needle for movement into engagement with selected portions of the edge of said work moving along said guide over said support to move said edge portions of said work out of the path of travel of said needle, whereby said needle may `dispose ay length of said thread exteriorly of said edge of said work and form an over edge stitch, said last-named means including a lever connected to said finger, a cam follower on said lever, and cam means operatively associated with said cam follower for moving said finger to displace said edge 'of said work, said cam means comprising a plurality of slidably mounted axially spaced cams, and a clutch collar attached thereto, shifting means engaging said clutch collar, and 'a selector device connected to said shifting means for moving a selected cam into engagement with said cam follower, whereby in the subsequent operation of said machine said nger and said work feeding means co-act to produce a succession of stitches closely simulating hand stitching conforming to a predetermined stitch pattern.

8. In a sewing machine, the combination of a work support, a work guide, mechanism for feeding work to be stitched over said support, a needle opposed alternately operating needle bars, means alternately connecting said needle with each of said bars for projection with a thread having a loose and a iixed end back and forth through said work, a thread puller for pulling the loose end of ysaid thread through said work on alternate movements `'of said needle, mechanism for forming a plurality of Selective types of stitches in said work, said last-named mechanism comprising a work displacing finger, means lmounting said finger on said machine and adjacent the path of travel of said needle for movement into engagement with selected portions of the edge of said work moving along said guide over said support to move said edge portions of said work out of the path of travel of said needle, whereby said needle may dispose a length of said thread exteriorly of said edge of said work and form an over edge stitch, said last-named means including a lever connected to said finger, a cam follower on said lever, and cam means operatively associated with 4said cam follower for moving said nger to displace said edge of said work, said cam means comprising a plurality of co-axial, spaced cams and a co-axial clutch collar, shifting means engaging said clutch collar, a stitch pattern selector device connected to said shifting means, means detachably holding said selector device in an oper- ,ative position conforming to the stitching pattern pr0 duced by the engagement of said cam follower with a lselected cam, said cams including a cam for producing a succession of over edge stitches, a cam for producing a succession -of Creed stitches, said means detachably holding said selector device being operative to locate said cams in a position where said cam follower isl out of engagement with any of said cams wherein said nger is incapacitated and said machine produces a succession of under and over stitches.

9,. The invention defined in claim 8 including work feeding means, an auxiliary cam mounted on said over ,edge cam, an auxiliary cam follower adapted to engage said auxiliary cam when said Creed stitch cam is engaged by said first-named cam follower, and means operative in response to the engagement ofrsaid auxiliary cam f ollowerfor incapacitating said work feeding means to skip one movement thereof in forming the over edge stitch of each Creed stitch.

l0. In a sewing machine of the type described, a combination with a pair of opposed alternately operated needle bars, 'a needle, a work supporting guide means operatively disposed to guide work on said support, and work feeding means for feeding work along said guide means on said work support, of means alternately connecting said needle with said needle bars for projection with a thread having a xed end and a loose end through the work, a drum located adjacent said support, a thread puller movable labout the periphery of said drum and operative to' pull the loose end of said thread through the work and dispose the loose end of the thread about said drum, and mechanism mounted adjacent said guide means for effecting the displacement of limited portions of the work laterally with respect to the path of travel of said needle to cause the sewing machine to form lateral stitches in the work, said mechanism comprising a plurality of slidably mounted axially spaced cams, and a clutch collar attached thereto, shifting means engaging said clutch collar, and a selector device connected to said shifting means for moving a selected cam into engagement with said cam follower, whereby in the subsequent `operation of said machine said linger and said work feeding means co-act to produce a succession of stitches 4closely simulating hand stitching conforming to a predetermined stitch pattern.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,789,704 Johnson et al. Ian. 20, 1931 1,884,033 Maier Oct. 25, 1932 1,909,185 Loeb May 16, 1933 2,386,800 Johnson Oct. 16, 1945 v 2,422,208 Pedersen lune 17, 1947 2,517,079 Birdsall Aug. 1, 1950 2,693,778 Harris .c Nov. 9, 1954 

